


The Kingdom of Atlas

by AI_Faervel



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drabble, F/F, Fun, Multi, RWBYlot, what plot?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-26 20:23:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5019169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AI_Faervel/pseuds/AI_Faervel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the kingdom of Atlas, Weiss Schnee, princess of Atlas, is destinied to rule Atlas; however, she can not do so without the aid of Ruby Rose, a Huntress. Only Hunters and Huntresses, known for their ability to use aura, a formidable magic, are outlawed and treated as less than human. Can Ruby keep her true identity a secret while fulfilling her destiny of helping Weiss claim the throne and uniting all of Remnant?</p><p>In other words, it's kind of based off of King Arthur / Camelot / Merlin. Although there are many different versions of King Arthur out there, I'm mostly drawing off of the BBC series titled 'Merlin' for reference. (Netflix + RWBY V3 Hype = RWBYlot ideas.) It's not a true cross-over or anything though, so don't expect characters from Merlin showing up or anything. (Or it simply being Merlin plot with RWBY characters instead either.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chance or Fate?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not quite sure how many chapters this is going to be yet. It's kind of just for fun / drabbles in the RWBYlot universe I have planned out in my head. As such, there may or may not be any plot involved at all. Think of this more so as a collection of ideas / one shots / short series taking place in a RWBYlot setting. I'll reorganize chapters as needed if plot does actually develop out of this.
> 
> Pairings... will be updated in tags as they happen. For now Weiss/Ruby is probably going to be "end game" but it hasn't actually happened yet (sorry?). Implied pairings won't be tagged. Again, I ship anyone with everyone and anyone, so your ship may or may not show up, explicitly or implied. 
> 
> I don't like to use ratings, but there's nothing explicit here asides from some language and quite probably suggestive scenes. Chapters will be noted otherwise if for some strange reason I stray from my norm.

The carriage rolled to a halt and the guards accompanying it immediately moved in closer to it, easily surrounding it and brandishing their spears outwards in a protective circle. The light of the moon was pale and lazy clouds lolling across the night sky only further dimmed their vision that night, but they'd been on the road for several hours now and their eyes had adjusted to the darkness well enough. Eyes and ears primed for threats, they kept a wary lookout on the road before and after them in addition to the vast expanse of forest on either side of the road. 

Their scouts hadn't returned and it was strangely quiet. It was always a worry when the creatures of the night ceased their calls. Common men and women might welcome the silence it brought, but as trained knights of the mighty kingdom of Atlas they knew better. If the animals were on edge, they needed to be on guard. Something had disturbed them and whatever it was wasn't something natural. The only noise that night was the soft clinking of their mail and a weak wind blowing through the empty forest. The grips on the shafts of their spears tightened in anxiety and the mounted knights had their hands on their swords, ready to draw them at any moment's notice--some had already drawn them and the naked blades gleamed faintly in the light.

The silence was broken as a shrill voice from within the carriage that was distinctly feminine demanded to know what was happening outside. A small panel on the door of the carriage slid out and crystal blue eyes peeked out into the night. "Commander, I want to know why we've stopped." One of the mounted knights pressed his steed forward slightly and dismounted. "Commander."

"Princess," he acknowledged, bowing his head lightly in respect. "I'm our scouts haven't returned yet."

"Should we head back then?" There was no hint of worry or fear in her voice as she easily interpreted his words. "It will cost us time, but I believe my father would find it understandable."

The man nodded but shook his head. "We have reason to believe we've been surrounded." The slat immediately closed. "We're currently lighting torches at this moment and keeping a sharp eye out. You have no need to worry."

"Thank you, commander. I trust that you and your men will be able to deliver me safely back home." Her voice was muffled, but still reached his ears readily enough. After another slight bow of the head, he remounted the armored steed one of the spear-men had been holding for him and inspected the guards' positions once more.

Torches lit, they waited a few more minutes, but the road remained uncomfortably silent. Unable to sit there like sitting ducks for much longer, the commander finally gave the command to move out. Their pace was slower than before and a tight circle was kept around the carriage, especially by the more heavily armored guards. Each and every single one of the knights were tense and wary of an ambush, but such a surprise attack never came.

They reached the crest of the hill before taking pause once more. The height gave them a vantage point to scout ahead, but as far as any of them could tell there weren't any traps below. Nevertheless, two knights were selected to scout the road ahead of them and another two pairs to venture into the forest on either side. They were ordered to sound the alarm at the slightest provocation and immediately return to the column. 

The scouts eventually came back empty handed, but the daunting silence continued to serve as a warning that something was amiss to them. "This is strange..." muttered the commander to himself.

"Sir, do you think _they're_ involved?" asked one of the knights nervously. 

In the dimness of the night, the knight didn't notice his commander's glare, but he could easily make out the distaste in his voice. "It makes no difference if they're involved or not. We will handle them like any other threat. It is our job to protect the princess and we will."

"Yes, but--"

"It makes no difference," repeated the commander, words thick with contempt. 

"Y-Yes sir," bowed the cowed knight.

They began to move out once more, pace slow as ever. The wind picked up and became more of a nuisance. Atlas was known for its frigid, year-round weather, and its inhabitants were used to the cold; however, this wind was one of those rare bone-chilling ones. It was certainly strange for Vale, considering their weather was never really to the extremes, even during the winter season. The knights who were chain and mail were lucky enough to not immediately feel the wind's chill, but for those who had opted for speed instead of heavy defenses shivered and pulled up their collars and cloaks in their best efforts to ward off the cold. 

That was when the first handful of knights began to fall. Arrows rained down on them and the knights were hard pressed to protect their youthful charge. "The next town should be an hour away. Get the princess to safety immediately!" roared out the commander, shield raised high above his uncovered face against the hailstorm of iron. "Footmen, on me!"

The carriage immediately began to quicken it's pace and the mounted knights in the column moved with the carriage, ever careful to keep it surrounded and in the middle. The footmen came to the commander's call and gathered in untidy clumps around him. "They're coming from behind us. They're in the forest. Flush them out!" Shields raised before them, they climbed back up the hill only to pause and look back with horror as hungry flames roared into life behind them. 

The lead knights had suffered the worse of the damage, having set off the traps. The more heavily armored ones had truly suffered, being cooked alive in their heavy, plated armor shells. The mines continued to go off, linked to the ones the lead had set off. Horses neighed and whined, instincts taking over their training as they bucked and heaved their riders off in their struggled to escape the flames. Indeed, even some knights had lost all sense of themselves and ran off in terror only to be picked off by unseen snipers. 

The carriage the princess was in had not yet caught fire and was earnestly trying to go back, but it was far too slow and the congestion of knights surrounding it made it virtually impossible to escape. Without a second thought, the commander roared out another order to the footmen: to rescue the princess and provide cover for her, as he charged towards the flames, eyes locked onto the carriage.

"Princess!" he called out, as the carriage toppled over and crashed onto it's side, flames eagerly reaching forth for the splintering wood. Maneuvering his shy mount, he made it to the carriage after dodging crazed, burning knights and jumping over charring dead bodies of horse and men. "Princess!"

"I-I'm here!" came out a weak voice, almost muffled by the heavy wood panels, crackling fire, and agonized screams. 

Hurriedly, he tried to open the door, but found it jammed and was forced to use his sword to crack the door open, chipping it in the process. "Can you get up?" he shouted. A pale hand slowly floated into view and he leaned over as far as he could to grab hold of it, pulling the princess up out of the wreckage and into his arms, leaving his sword jammed into the wood.

She was bleeding and coughing, but otherwise alive. He let go of his tight hold on the reins and gave his mount full bearing, the beast immediately trying to find the quickest way out of the death trap closing in on them. He had abandoned his sword and had no weapon to his name other than the hunting knife at his side and the armored gauntlets he wore. He hoped it would be enough. Slowly, the princess sat up, leaning forward with the horse and the commander quickly following suit. They picked up some speed and was soon free of the flames.

"You know your way to the next town?" asked the commander hurriedly. The princess voiced the strongest affirmation she could with her damaged lungs and moved to take the reins. He passed them on to her without a second thought and pulled a spear from a fallen knight as they sped by. It was near broken, but better than nothing. Working the hunting knife off, he slipped it around the princess' waist. "Just in case." A grim nod from her was all he got.

Slowly, other knights who had managed to survive joined them. In no time they reached the town they had planned to pass through by morning. "Why are the gates closed?!"

Unfortunately, the commander had no idea why. Desperately, he scanned the wood walls, but all the gates he knew off were closed off. They pulled up to the main gates and he called out to the guards on duty. "By order of the king of Atlas, let us through!" But the words had no effect and the gates remained stubbornly closed. Wood walls they may be, but they were crafted from sure, strong trees and would not easily yield. They didn't have enough time to ram the gates open. He glanced down at his charge and grimaced. "We'll press on."

The princess' shoulders shook for a moment, but she soon nodded and their small band continued forward. The men at their rear were slowly being picked off one by one and the sound of hoof beats steadily gaining on them could easily be heard by all of the knights and the princess. They and their horses were exhausted, not to mention suffering from smoke inhalation of varying degrees. The mounted pursuers had likely been one of many fail safes in the event they got away from the ambush and mines. Their planning was impeccable. They had downed over a hundred knights in less than an hour.

He glanced around him at the survivors. They were mostly lucky greenhorns, a few veterans scattered among them. A lot of talent and potential had been lost that night. "Princess, your cloak, please," he murmured quietly. "Keep as low as you can." The princess unclasped the pin that held her cloak in place without question and hunkered down over the tiring horse. "Men, on me!" he roared. Exchanging gazes with the veterans, he didn't have to give out his orders.

Making sure to hand the cloak off to one of the vets as if it was a person, he pointed at the three closest knights to him. "You three, with me!" The other vets called out for various knights to follow them as well and the twenty or so knights that had managed to survive broke off into two groups of three and four and one group of six.

"Take the princess to safety!" shouted each of the leaders of the groups before splitting up and going off in varying directions. The hoof beats behind them slowed, but quickly split off as well. It was the only tactic left to them other than making a stand and fighting them of, but that was hardly an option--not when they had managed to rain down hundreds of arrows on them at once. It wouldn't be long before they were all caught, but at least this way they had managed to split up the numbers they'd be facing if it came down to a fight. 

He estimated they were outnumbered three to one, not counting the princess as a fighter, but those odds were better than before. It seemed their pursuers had not divided their numbers equally and he hoped that meant they had assumed one of the other groups had the princess. It would be bad news if they had deemed they were the right group and sent a small, but highly elite force to handle them. Two of the men he had chosen were greener than he'd like them to be, but being picky about who accompanied him would've only made them suspect him more. He prayed that the two greenhorns would be smart enough to understand what the plan was. "We're taking the princess to next city."

"But you handed the princess off to Sir Schwarz," started one of the greenhorns. "Wouldn't it better for us to take refuge somewhere and catch our breaths, send word for help, and then meet up with him and the princess in Alby?" Well at least this greenhorn seemed to get the message.

"That's not Sir Schwarz," sighed the other greenhorn, apparently more green than his peer. "You're mistaking him with his brother, Sir Braun. He took the princess and they're headed for the port town Camel. Use your head. They can get a boat a Camel and reach Altea faster and safer than securing another stupid carriage." Perhaps this young man wasn't as stupid as he had given him credit for.

"Both of you shut your mouths," grumbled the vet. "That kind of attack could only have been launched by the White Fang. They're probably listening to our every word as we speak. You know how good their hearing is."

"Yes, sir!"

"My apolo--" But the greenhorn's words died in his throat as an arrow lodged itself into the exposed chink of his mail and he fell from his mount like a stone, reins still wrapped tightly in his stiff hands and dragging his steed down with him. Whether it was a lucky shot or had been a carefully placed one was up for debate.

Faint lights played peek-a-boo with them up ahead. A small village! They spurred their tired steeds on, well aware they were breaking them and that if the horses lived they'd likely only be useful as meat for the dogs. The vet's horse actually gave out on him as they reached the dusty, well trodden dirt road coursing through the main part of the village. He abandoned the mount and the possessions it had been carrying immediately. "Go on."

"But--"

"Go and live, you damn brat."

The young knight spared him a second glance and then hurried on after the commander. His words, although harsh were true. He was a knight of Atlas and he knew his duty. He still wasn't sure if the commander actually had the princess or not, but if he did, he was better off alive and helping the commander than staying behind to help Sir Rot. He would be of little to use them on foot anyway. The man had made the proper choice. He could only hope to be as noble as him one day. Their horses were dying on them, but if they could carry them just a little further, then it was worth abandoning the man, if only to put a few more miles between them.

But it seemed their abandonment of Sir Vernon was for naught as they reached the center of the village and their horses began to move at little more than a crawl. Distantly, they could hear Sir Rot engaging in battle with their pursuers. His harsh war cries were defining and his insults and taunts even more so. They had little time left to them. Their only option was to fight or hide.

"Psst!" Both the commander and the young knight tensed. "Over here!" They shared a glance before the commander set down the princess, much to the knight's shock, but neither he nor the princess made a sound. "Hurry!"

The princess stared up at the commander and knight in turn, mouth open to say something, but she quickly closed her mouth and hurried over towards the voice that had called out to them, hunting knife in hand. She would _not_ forget their sacrifice. She met a cloaked figure, not much taller than herself who pulled her inside one of the homes. The sound of hoof beats didn't give so much as a pause as they turned the corner and continued their chase after the commander and young knight. "Wh--"

"Shh." She failed to see how her faint thank you would have been a problem considering how loud the girl's 'shh' at her had been, but clamped her mouth shut nevertheless. This person had risked their life to save her's without knowing why her life was at stake or who she was, the least she could do was try not to get themselves both killed in the meantime. She waited for what felt like hours, but eventually the hooded figure relaxed and turned around to face her. "Are you hungry?"

Her crossed arms relaxed a little. This was not the question she had been expecting to hear come out of her savior's mouth. She was about to give the stranger a modest 'no' but her stomach growled in defiance. "A little," she amended instead.

"It's not much, but it's pretty good." The hooded figure, who was probably a woman too, judging by her voice, pulled down the thick wooden covering of the small fireplace and quickly pulled out a loaf of bread, dropping the apparently too hot loaf onto a clean, white cloth on the small table next to her quickly. "Here you are!"

Picking up the cloth and wrapping it around the warm loaf delicately, she gently blew on it before taking a small bite. She didn't realize just how hungry she was until she swallowed. The bread was a little stale, made better by reheating it, but otherwise edible. It warmed her up and filled her stomach enough so that the harsh hunger she had been ignoring due to the fear of being caught had subsided to a more manageable level. 

"We can leave tomorrow morning," smiled the young woman, throwing back her hood and revealing a short bob of dark red, almost black hair framing her face. Her silver eyes gazed at her intensely and she found it unbearable to continue looking her in the eye. "You can sleep here, if you want," she offered, moving aside and showing her the bed she'd been sitting on.

She merely nodded in response and sank into the lumpy mattress thankfully. It was uncomfortable and far too hard, but it was a bed and she hadn't slept in one since her leave from the kingdom of Mistral. 

"Oh, my name's Ruby by the way! What's yours?"

"Mmm... Weiss..." she mumbled, already succumbing to the sweet embrace of sleep.

"Weiss...?" Ruby repeated her name quietly, mostly in an effort to remember it before smiling and stripping off her cloak to lay it on top of Weiss and scooting in closer towards the fire. Tonight was going to be a chilly one. Back against the warm stone hearth, she curled up her knees and wrapped her arms about them, laying her head against her knees. For a moment she watched as the pale young woman in her bed slept. The slow rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took eventually lulled Ruby to sleep herself. "Weiss..." 


	2. Journey to Altea

"Mmm..." Yawning, Weiss sat up and stretched out her arms. For a brief moment she was disorientated and almost panicked and called out for Sir Gelb, but her memories of the previous night quickly caught up to her and pulled out Sir Gelb's hunting knife. "I promise I won't forget," she murmured, staring at the plain, worn leather sheath of the hunting knife.

"Nngh..." Startled, Weiss pulled the knife only to relax as she spied Ruby against the fireplace. Re-sheathing the knife, she finally got up, only to hiss in complaint as her bare feet made contact with the cold, hard ground. The thin blanket and Ruby's cloak having fallen from her, she shivered in the cold air and grabbed at the covers, wrapping them about her half exposed shoulders and arms. "Mmm..." groaned Ruby lightly.

Blinking, Ruby slowly opened her eyes and locked gazes with Weiss. "Good morning!" she smiled cheerfully. Weiss just stared at her. How could anyone be so upbeat this early in the morning?! "We can have a quick bite to eat before leaving if you want. I think there's some left over venison, otherwise all I've got is bread."

"Okay," nodded Weiss absently before giving out a small shriek as something furry wiggled against her feet. "W-What is that?!" she demanded, immediately moving further up on the bed and pressing herself flat against the headboard.

Turning around and cocking her head to the side, Ruby squinted at the bed and then smiled. "Zweii!" There was more wriggling from the bottom of the sheets and then something small, black and furry popped out. "Come here, Zweii!" cooed Ruby. With a small bark, the little dog jumped down from the bed and ran over to Ruby, whining as he traversed the cold flooring, but his tail waggled happily all the while. "Did you keep Weiss warm last night?" asked Ruby as she picked up Zweii and promptly cuddled the dog. She was met with a joyful bark and a few licks to her face, causing Ruby to start laughing. "Zweii!" There was a whine, and Zweii stopped licking Ruby's face, but he seemed otherwise content with remaining in her arms. Weiss was utterly mortified that she had slept the whole night with a filthy dog in her bed and scrunched up her nose in distaste. "Sorry, did Zweii scare you?" apologized Ruby, taking out a loaf of bread from a basket under a counter and then plopping Zweii into the basket before pulling out a thin strip of meat and breaking off a small portion of it to give to Zweii.

"As if," scoffed Weiss, crossing her arms against her chest. Ruby just stared at her for a moment and then smiled before placing the loaf and meat on the grate inside of the fireplace.

"So where are you headed?" Weiss tried to ignore Ruby, but the girl just kept an intense gaze on her and kept on prodding her for answers. "Come on, Weiss, if you don't tell me where we're going, I can't help you!"

"W-Wait. What do you mean we? I don't need your help," protested Weiss, finally fully awake and realizing she had stupidly given Ruby her real name and that the girl intended to stay with her for whatever stupid reason. She supposed she couldn't do anything about Ruby knowing her real name now, but she was not going to let Ruby come with her. Enough people had already died for her sake, she didn't need another name to join that list, not if she could help it.

Ruby stared at her a moment longer and then laughed. "Of course you need my help," she chortled. "So where are we going?"

"I'm sure your parents wouldn't want you to go off traveling with a stranger," tried Weiss. And come to think of it, where _were_ her parents?

"Nope! My sister's off travelling the world and my dad's a merchant." Not a very good one, judging by how poor the house was, but Weiss was well mannered enough not to voice the thought out loud. "They've actually wanted me to travel the world too, but I haven't had a reason to before."

"Your mother then." She found it hard to believe that the girl's father actually wanted her to travel the world, and she especially doubted the mother would want to part ways with her daughter. As for her sister, she had probably just eloped with some guy she thought she was in love with. Weiss had seen and heard about it often enough. Her servants were constantly complaining about their lives or fantasizing about and swooning over the local squires and pages if they so much as looked at them.

"She's dead. So, where are we going?" Weiss balked at Ruby's bluntness and found herself looking straight into Ruby's bright, silver eyes. "At least tell me a direction."

"Altea," sighed Weiss at long last in defeat.

"Ohh. How come?" Did this girl's series of questions never end?

"I live there," supplied Weiss. Ruby's questions were still open ended enough that she could give an ambiguous answer and she hoped it'd stay that way. There was no need for Ruby to learn who she really was. It'd only cause her trouble or she'd end up trying to use her.

"Ooo. Schnee Keep is where the king lives, right? And that's in Altea, isn't it?!" asked Ruby excitedly.

"... Yes..." answered Weiss, not sure where this was headed and getting uncomfortable.

"Oh, oh, it's also where Knights are trained, right?!" Weiss warily nodded. "Wah, have you seen them?"

"Huh?"

"The knights! Have you seen them? My sister visits Schnee Keep sometimes and when she comes back she tells me stories about all the knights there!" explained Ruby excitedly. "Is it true there's a Mistral princess there who's better than Atlas' knights?!"

"Uh..."

"Oh, oh, oh, and is the Atlas princess really a snob? My sister says she's really mean and cold hearted, but she's only ever heard about her. You've probably seen her though, right?!"

Pride flaring, Weiss immediately refuted the idea. "What?! I-Princess Schnee isn't mean!" Ruby continued to stare up at her, giving her her full, undivided attention and Weiss couldn't help but go on. "S-She's really pretty and she's actually nice. She cares for her people and subordinates too, it's just that she's not allowed to show it... o-or so I've heard from the palace servants."

"How come?"

"I... I don't know. I mean, she _is_ a princess."

"Right," breathed Ruby, her breath coming out in a shallow cloud of white as her brows scrunched up in thought. "How long does it take to get to Altea from here?" Weiss paled. She hadn't thought about that. She actually had no idea where they were right now and couldn't even begin to imagine where Schnee Keep was relative to their position. "Oh! The bread's ready."

Zipping towards the fireplace, Ruby quickly dropped the loaf and venison onto the same white cloth from the night before and handed it to Weiss. "Here you go!"

Grateful, Weiss took the cloth from Ruby and took bites out of the loaf and from the venison. The meat was old, stiff and near tasteless, but it was meat and she needed to keep her strength up. The thin strip of meat quickly disappeared and the rest of the bread followed suit. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Signal!" chirped Ruby. "It used to be a pretty big town, but... um... after a fire broke out most of the town got destroyed and a lot of people left, so it's become a small hamlet now."

Well, that probably explained why Weiss had never heard of the place before. "Do you have a map?"

"Mmm, I don't, but I know someone who does!" answered Ruby cheerfully. "You ready to go now?" Weiss nodded and Ruby handed her her shoes. Slipping into them, Weiss now found it far more bearable to walk and followed Ruby out the door, her cloak tightly wrapped about her, hood pulled low over her face for fear of anyone recognizing her.

Ruby had picked up Zweii and was leading the way towards what looked like the biggest building in the village. "This is Arc Manor," declared Ruby as they stepped into the small courtyard through the rotting wooden gate that only fenced in half of the lawn. "Jaaauuuneeeee!"

A few minutes later, a blonde head poked out of a window on the second floor and smiled at Ruby. "Ruby!" he called out, waving. Ruby waved back at him and motioned for him to come down. "Be there in a sec!" His head disappeared back inside and they continued on the small dirt path to the front door. "Hello!"

"Hi, Jaune!" Jaune stepped aside and ushered them inside. "Your Dad had a map of Remnant, right?"

"Yep," nodded Jaune. "Hey, uh, Ruby, who's that?" asked Jaune in an overly loud whisper as he pulled Ruby aside.

"Ohh, right. Jaune, meet Weiss. Weiss, Jaune."

"Hello."

Jaune stared at Weiss for awhile until Ruby jabbed him in the arm and he came back to his senses. "Oh, um, map, way, this. Here. Over."

Giggling, Ruby thanked Jaune and unrolled the map he had pointed them over to in the small study his family had accumulated over the years. "Look, Altea isn't too far away!" pointed Ruby gleefully.

Sighing, Weiss, took the map from Ruby. "No, you dunce, this is just a scaled down version of Remnant. Altea is miles and miles and miles from here!"

"Ohhh," nodded Ruby as if she completely understood what Weiss was saying.

"Argh... It's at least a two week journey, if not more depending on weather and road conditions, not to mention sailing conditions!" Surely even Ruby would understand what several days of travel meant.

Eyes bulging, Ruby looked at Weiss and then the map. "Oh my gosh, really?!" Jaune just laughed lightly in the background, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Is what she's saying true Jaune? I mean, you know your letters and everything!"

"Ah, well... yeah..." nodded Jaune, a little embarrassed.

"You... don't know your letters?" questioned Weiss in disbelief. Everyone knew how to read! ... Didn't they?

Ruby merely shook her head. "Nope! Jaune's been teaching me, but I don't get it at all. Like, why do you need a 'k' in front a 'nee'? That's just silly."

Weiss started to retort something back, but Jaune quickly stepped between them. "Ahahaha, Ruby, why don't you go ask my sister for some money for supplies. Weiss and I'll go over a list of things we'll need since it'll be such a long journey." After Ruby had left he quietly explained to Weiss that arguing with Ruby over the matter would just be wasted effort since he himself had tried to explain it to her before and failed miserably for several hours.

Weiss bit back her retort, attributing it to his poor teaching skills. These people were going to help her get home, so maybe if she just tried really, really hard she could put up with their stupidity. Maybe. Pulling out a piece of parchment and ink, Jaune carefully began to make a list of things they'd need. Weiss watched him for awhile before taking the quill from him and doing it herself. The boy knew his letters, sure, but he was painfully slow at them. "Just tell me what we need and I'll write it down."

"Ah, okay." He seemed a little dejected until he saw Weiss' handwriting. "Whoa! You're really good at this."

"Of course I am," snapped Weiss. "Now, tell me what we need. I want to get home as soon as I can." She was sure her would be assassins were restless and out looking for her, probably retracing their steps and going over everything with a fine tooth comb. It wouldn't be long before they found traces of where she'd been if they were really the White Fang.

Atlas and Vacuo was at war with one another, not very openly or publicly, but Vacuo was always undermining Atlas and in retaliation, Atlas was making things as difficult as they could for Vacuo. The White Fang were their most elite units and special forces. Several important socio-political leaders had already been assassinated or apprehended by them and Vacuo was slowly moving towards outright open warfare. Vale was stubbornly refusing to aide either side and trying to remain neutral. That only left Mistral and so far, it looked like the kingdom would align itself with Atlas if her marriage to Prince Neptune went through. Her stay at Mistral had been pleasant, but she had yet to actually meet the young prince. She had only been told that he fancied her to a point and had agreed to the marriage proposal. No doubt, that was the reason why the White Fang had their sights set on her. Her death would mean Mistral would remain more neutral in the war for the time being.

She wasn't supposed to have come back if the marriage proposal was agreed to, but her father had sent word for her return and she'd been forced to leave. Mistral was by far more pleasant to live in. It was warm and sunny most of the year there instead of Atlas' icy sheer cold and freezing blizzards. She had left with the same knights who had escorted her to Mistral along with a handful of Mistral's own warriors, and it seemed none of them but her had made it.

The memory of the fire and explosions made her stomach uneasy and she focused on the ink staining the parchment. Jaune, despite his overall dorkiness, seemed to have a relatively decent head on his shoulders and she only needed to make slight additions to the list. When Ruby came back with a small purse of gold coins she had swiped the list from them only to stare at it blankly and ask Weiss what was written. When she read the list out loud to her, Ruby had promptly pouted and declared that they needed more things--mostly unnecessary stuff that she and Jaune both vetoed. In the end she had somehow convinced them that at the very least they should buy a bag of sweets for the road... only for her to hoard the bag to herself and give them each one piece and say that it was their share and they'd have to make it last.

Weiss also wondered how the two of them had managed to convince her to let them travel with her too. She had been so intent on going alone, yet in the end both Jaune and Ruby had wound accompanying her. Just what in the world was going on? Every time she tried to ditch them and leave them behind they somehow wound up catching up to her or catching her in the act. She was stuck with them, for better or for worse it seemed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm generally not really good at naming places... so yes, Altea is kind of a shout out to Fire Emblem (because I love that series) and I just didn't feel like doing a bunch of research on things related to "Atlas" to use as a city capital. 
> 
> Still trying to figure out exactly how I want each of the RWBYverse characters to fit in this fic, but everyone'll have their place eventually. And yeah, I'm kind of aware it doesn't really make sense for Atlas and Vacuo to be at war with each other since one is like... a desert... and the other is a giant ice field... but... yeah...
> 
> Also, I'm aware "Signal" itself is on an island. And in Vale. This will be explained eventually. (Or this chapter will be re-edited to explain why later.) Originally I wasn't planning on having Remnant's world map be present in this story... but then it kind of did... -__-" So I'll get to editing chapter one to make it more... geologically/ecologically appropriate later, mainly changing it from summer to winter and editing a few lines.
> 
> Yes. I'm also aware this is looking a lot more like actual plot than just random stuff I think of happening. Oh well. Quoting Jaune: I lied. (I guess.)


	3. Trekking Through The Forest

The three young adults had come to establish a sort of habit when making camp. Weiss, who was typically the pickiest one of them all, would choose a spot and begin to put up their tent while Jaune and Ruby usually saw to the firewood and seeing if they could get their hands on any extra provisions for the night. This usually led to Ruby doing some impromptu hunting alone and Jaune fetching wood and water. Zweii would sometimes accompany Jaune, but for the most part he stayed behind with Weiss as "protection" while they were away. They had tried to stay within shouting distance of one another, but that had proved difficult at times depending on where exactly Weiss wanted to break camp.

A week in and during one such exercise, Jaune had quickly chased after Ruby before she got too far ahead and focused on the hunt. "Hey Ruby, can we talk?" asked Jaune as they finally got deeper into the forest and were reasonably far away enough from the camp for Weiss to not overhear them.

"Yes, Jaune?"

"Who's Weiss?" He was certain he had never seen Weiss in the village before and after a few days of observation he had noticed she didn't act like anyone from the surrounding villages either, let alone the next town or city over. How Ruby had managed to stumble upon her was beyond him.

"What do you mean?" questioned Ruby, stopping and turning to fully face him. "Jaune, what's this about?"

"It's just... You're really nice to her and she's kind of... ungrateful about it," explained Jaune, careful to choose his words with care. One wrong word and Ruby would be quick to defend Weiss and they'd be getting nowhere. He had promised Yang he'd keep an eye out for Ruby when she decided to leave. Their Uncle Qrow had said he'd keep tabs on Ruby, but he and Yang had both known that that would mean a monthly visit at most. Qrow was far too busy with his own work, whatever that was, to reliably be available to Ruby if she ever needed help.

Growing up with seven sisters and being the only boy had meant that his parents expected him to be the "man of the house" and take care of them, even if they were all older than him and looked after him more than he did them. So when Yang asked him to keep an eye on Ruby he had agreed he would--it didn't seem like that different from what his parents expected of him. They were best friends and quite honestly, a part of him already viewed Ruby like the little sister he would never have. . . even if she had a tendency to save him from the village bullies.

"What are you talking about?" scoffed Ruby. "Weiss _is_ grateful!"

"You know, grateful people usually say 'thank you' now and again." He had seen how Ruby would offer Weiss food only for Weiss to take up the whole thing instead of taking some and sharing it with her like any other person would. Ruby would just stare at her empty hands for a moment before looking away and Jaune usually had to share his own meager amount with Ruby. Admittedly he was pretty tired of Weiss getting two portions every meal while he and Ruby had to settle for half a portion each. Sure, Weiss was pretty, but her actions were making her less and less attractive to Jaune.

She still continued to refuse their help and even berated Ruby when she helped her with something. He could still recall when Weiss was trying to put up the tent one night and had Ruby offered to teach her how to do it when she saw that she was struggling and Weiss had snapped at her, saying she knew how to do it and wasn't an idiot. Two hours later, long after the sun had set, the tent was finally up. Sort of. He and Ruby had had to fix it to make sure it didn't collapse on them while they slept when Weiss wasn't looking. She also refused to let him rest inside of the tent, which was fine to some degree since the winters in Vale weren't too bad and it hadn't started snowing yet, but it was going to be a bit of a nuisance later on. He could understand where she was coming from, but it wasn't like he was going to try to do anything to her and if he did, Ruby would be more than enough to put an end to it. He quickly pushed aside the thought that Ruby was stronger than him, with or without her Huntress abilities.

Ruby opened her mouth to protest but found no ready comeback and just stubbornly crossed her arm. "She's not mean..."

"I didn't say she was," sighed Jaune. Ruby hadn't told him much, just that she'd let Weiss spend the night and wanted to help her get home. He suspected it might have had something to do with some of the villagers' claims of hearing people fighting and shouting that one night. The villagers had brought the complaints to his father and his father had made him attend the meetings because as the only male heir, he was supposed to take over some day. There had been multiple cases of hearing swords clanging against each other, an unmistakable sound since the villagers so rarely fought against one another except in festivals. Others had claimed to have heard hoof beats and lots of them.

There had just been one problem: there was no evidence. They had scoured the roads and surrounding areas for signs of foul play and prints, but found nothing. No blood, no hoof prints, no discarded weapons, no broken arrows, no dents, no bodies, nothing at all. His father had written it off as the villagers dreaming or being drunk, but Jaune wasn't so sure. He hadn't dared to voice his opinion in front of his father though...

He was well aware of the fact that his father was mildly disappointed in him. Heir to the family, yet still too weak to fend for himself and having to rely on women to come to his aid. Still, it was strange. It couldn't have been a coincidence or been due to being drunk to the moon. Too many of the villagers had claimed to have heard the same thing and their stories matched up. Even the families that had feuded with each other for as far back as anyone could remember had had the same story.

"Look, it's just that... you do a lot of things for Weiss and she hasn't really done anything in return. I mean, she's wearing the cloak your mom made you and you don't even let me touch it!" Ruby couldn't find a retort to this though and just stubbornly crossed her arms, choosing to ignore Jaune. "Just... help me understand, okay?" Ruby still had her arms crossed, but she had slowed down her pace a little. "I know you want to help people as much as you can because that's what your mom did... but you have to be careful. Weiss isn't from here. She--"

"Jaune," started Ruby flatly, coming to a stand still. "If you're worried that I'm going to tell Weiss, I'm not. Even I know better than that."

"But you want to tell her, don't you?"

"..."

Sighing, Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "Why are you going through all this trouble then? You could've just given her directions and a pack and sent her on her way."

"I dunno... I just... It's like there's this connection between us," mumbled Ruby.

"Ruby, you barely know the girl."

"Well... yeah, but... It's hard to explain. Maybe it's because I'm a Huntress? There's just this weird connection with her. I even saved her because I just had this feeling that I _needed_ to get up. When I did, there were these two knights--at least I think they were knights--in the middle of the village. I don't know why, but I just _knew_ I had to help them. That's when one of the knights put her down and I led her away."

Jaune raised an eye at this. "You don't think it's weird...?" He knew Ruby was one to glaze over the details, but knights in the middle of the night coupled with multiple accounts of presumed fighting? "I mean, what if she's someone dangerous?"

Ruby just laughed at this particular comment. "Weiss, dangerous? Jaune, she can't even start a fire!" Jaune had to give her this one though. She was right. Weiss was utterly hopeless. She couldn't start a fire, clean a fish or a rabbit or a bird, let alone cook it, or even knew the difference between poisonous plants and edible ones. If they had actually listened to Weiss and let her go alone she would probably be dead by now. Her ability to ration supplies was also horrendous. As was her appetite. It was the main reason why the both of them tried to find other sources of nutrition whenever they made camp.

"Okay, fiiine," relented Jaune. "Just, be careful, okay?"

"I've only got my super speed," protested Ruby, "It's not like I can actually do anything to really make her suspicious."

Jaune opened his mouth to say something back but wound up closing it and nodding. "Okay. Well... I'll see if I can find any dry wood. Happy hunting, Ruby."

"Thanks Jaune!"

Sighing, Jaune looked up towards the sky. He really wanted to tell Ruby the truth, but he'd been sworn into secrecy by her parents. Apparently Ruby didn't remember anything, and he couldn't really blame her, she was really young at the time, but she was capable of doing more than just running really fast and the boosted physical abilities all Hunters and Huntresses were born with. A lot more. She hadn't shown signs of it again since then, but he and the rest of the Rose-Xiao Long family knew that it'd eventually resurface again. He didn't think it was fair to keep it a secret from Ruby but her parents had said that it was for her own good and as a five year old it had been pretty hard to argue with two adults several times his age using big words and sounding really scary. As he had gotten older it had seemed less intimidating... until the day Yang accidentally burned down Signal because someone had cut off some of her hair by accident. He shuddered at the thought. It had been a complete miracle that no one had died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :s I feel like this chapter is weak compared to the other two. Like. Really weak. I may rewrite it (again) some other time if I become more invested in this story.
> 
> Hahahahaha.... I'm also working on other ideas, but I don't think they're really worth posting up. Too short or generic. Or just plain bad. So it's why it's been a couple of days since I updated. 
> 
> I've also done some minor editing with the previous chapters (nothing really worth going back and rereading for) to get the whole climate/season thing lined up.


	4. Travel Companions

Admiring her own handiwork, Weiss sat down on the blanket she had laid out and warmed her hands by the fire that Ruby had set up before going off into the woods with Jaune. She highly suspected that the two were an item, but she hadn't had an opprotunity to ask them about it without being too obnoxious. They were very close and could finish each other's thoughts. Jaune even gave Ruby portions of his own meal! If that didn't say something about the two of them, she didn't know what else. They probably just went off together to mess around, but Weiss couldn't even begin to think about teasing them about it without starting to get red in the face.

It wasn't that she didn't know what young men and women did with each other behind closed doors... she just... she was a princess! Such indecencies were unheard of! Maybe commoners like Ruby and Jaune could afford such pleasures, but she certainly couldn't. It wasn't like she actually cared that they were doing things with each other anyway. She just didn't want to babysit their dog, that's all.

Tugging on the edges of Ruby's cloak, she wrapped herself inside of them more. It was cold, nothing like the Atlas-cold she knew, still, she found herself unbearably cold. The weight of the hunting knife on her hip made the cold that much more unbearable. There was a soft whine and when she looked down she saw that Zweii had wormed his way into the cloak by sitting on her lap and burrying his head into her stomach. Gingerly, she reached down and stroked Zweii's head. His stump of a tail wagged happily and his pants sounded just as happy.

Stomach growling, she turned to where she had watched Ruby and Jaune's backs fade from view hours ago. Zweii swiveled his head that way too, but inevitably wound up burrying his head into her stomach again, as if to say everyhing was okay. A tiny smile began to edge it's way onto her lips and Weiss continued to scratch at Zweii's ears. Zweii seemed utterly content with just lolling on her lap, tongue sticking out and tail waving. She was just being nice to the dog, nothing more.

"Weiss, look!" Half startled, despite knowing full who that cheery voice belonged to, Weiss abruptly turned to the side to see Ruby coming out of the woods, a rabbit in either hand. "Heh, aren't I good?" Weiss took in the two snow rabbits and found her mouth salivating at the thought of meat, real meat, for a change. No more old, dried pieces of flesh still too hard to chew or half dead fish with more bones than anything. Swallowing, Weiss gave her a curt nod. "You wanna try skinning them?"

"No." She had learned her lesson. As much as she might enjoy eating meat, having to actually clean the carcass to make it edible was most certainly not her cup of tea. "Where's Jaune?" The two of them usually showed up together. While she might not think too highly of Jaune, the boy was slow and dim-witted, he was still their travelling companion and if something happened to him, she'd feel guilty about it. She wanted to tell them who she really was, but that would only do more harm than good, but just because they thought she just another commoner didn't mean she had to act like it all the time.

Ruby was already beginning to work on the two fat rabbits, but didn't ignore Weiss altogether. "He's... probably still getting firewood... Hmm. Can I borrow your knife?" 

"What?!"

"Mine is too dull. Yours is pretty sharp," replied Ruby as if the reason should be obvious enough. "I promise to give it back!"

Reluctantly, Weiss handed the knife over to Ruby. It was stupid, but the knife made her feel safe. It was as if the commander was still with her and would continue to protect her so long as the knife was in her posession. Of course, she knew better than to believe in such silly supersitions. When people died they stayed dead. The commander, nor any of the knights who had accompanied her, woud be able to protect her or come to rescue now. Her life was at the mercy of two young adults who probably couldn't even drive off bandits.

Well. Ruby might. She was a pretty good hunter, judging by her ability to bring back game. She might be able to protect them if they got attacked by bandits, but she doubted Ruby would be of much use against assassins or the White Fang. And Jaune... She dismissed the thought at once. Jaune would be pretty useless in a fight, bandits or White Fang. She wasn't even sure if he could fend off wild animals.

"Ooo, this is a really nice one," commented Ruby as she handled the knife, turning it over in her hands a few times and examing the polished steel. "It's really well balanced too. Oooo, the steel's been folded back on itself a few times, I see. This isn't you're average hunting knife, that's for sure." Weiss blinked. So the little red streak knew about weapons. That was a surprise. "Whoa! Is this the Ironwood Guild's insignia?! They make the best weapons ever!"

She considered saying something, but decided it would be better if she just let Ruby gawk over the blade instead of prompting a one sided conversation with her. She hadn't pegged Ruby to be some kind of weapons expert, but she supposed it was a good thing in it's own way. Did she feel just the slightest bit safer now? No. Well, not really. No one was as exceptional as the knights of Atlas, but considering her circumstances, Ruby was starting to seem like an adequate replacement.

"Where'd you get something like this?!" exclaimed Ruby, taking a momentary pause and turning to face Weiss. "Ironwood products are really expensive, even for things like this."

Sh--oot, because princesses don't use such foul langage. "It was a gift," replied Weiss in a clipped tone.

"Aw, I wish I could get something like this as a gift," pouted Ruby. Weiss let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding. Of course. What was she so afraid of? There was no way Ruby, of all people, was going to figure out who she was. What amazing luck. Of all people to recieve help form and run into on Remnant, she had gotten the two people in the whole universe who didn't have the slightest clue as to who she was. "No wonder you didn't want to let me use it. It must be a really special gift from someone you care about," brooded Ruby, seemingly holding the knife with greater care than before. "Here. You can have it back. I'll just go sharpen mine. It'll take longer, but it's okay!"

Weiss just stared at the naked blade that had been shoved back into her hands. "It's fine..." she started, only to trail off as she saw Ruby working on her own knife once she looked up and found Ruby rummaging around in her pack for a whetstone. She didn't know what to say or do. It was just a knife... and yet... Ruby had given it more meaning than it ought to have. "Uh..." Looking at Ruby's own knife, a pit began to form in her stomach. It was small and incredibly dull. Saying it had only recently gotten dull was a bit of an overstatement. She'd been using this old, chipped and dull blade this whole time without complaint. Gently pushing Zweii aside, she got up and dusted herself off. Taking in a deep breath, she walked over to where Ruby was and handed the hunting knife back towards her. "Here."

"Huh? It's okay, Weiss, really." Ruby ignored the offered blade and returned her attention onto her own.

"It's just a knife," sighed Weiss.

"But it's special to you, I can tell. I'm sorry for not noticing sooner."

"..." She wasn't used to this. People usually just did what she asked them to. "It's... it's not that special of a gift. I have others like it, better even."

Ruby stopped and looked up at her with wide, piercing silver eyes. "Yeah, but you didn't take those with you, did you? That means this one's important!" She wanted to point out that she hadn't had much of a choice in being able to bear arms herself because her father forbade it, but then that would involve explaining her family and who she was and that really wasn't an option right now. "It's just like my mom's cloak."

"Your mom's cloak...?" asked Weiss, looking over Ruby again. She was just in a long sleeve and some pants, nothing special and definitely no cloak. Weiss was pretty sure she hadn't even seen Ruby in a cloak since... Oh. "Wait... um... since you're letting me use your mom's cloak, I'm letting you use my knife. Consider it a trade, to be fair and all that." The pit in her stomach grew infinitely heavier. "If you had told me sooner I would've given it back to you."

Ruby just smiled at her. "But you'd be cold!" Nevertheless, she took the knife from Weiss' hands. "I'll be extra careful with it," she promised. Weiss wanted to point out, yet again, that it was just a knife, but she bit back the retort. Ruby was being nice to her and she had been too into her own problems to even notice it. "Do you... want to help...?" Realizing she was still standing there and caught off guard, Weiss nodded. "Oo, since you don't like cleaning them, why don't you make a grate or something? I mean, we could roast them over the fire... but that might take awhile and it looks like Jaune isn't going to be back any time soon."

"Sure." Weiss looked around the campsite only to realize she wasn't quite sure how to make one and they didn't exactly have anything at hand that could be useful.

"There was a small stream a little further in. You can try to see if there are any big flat stones. If we heat them up by the fire, we can probably cook some strips on them. They'll have to be a little thin though," advised Ruby, not even looking up from her work, deft hands quickly skinning the rabbits.

"Right..." nodded Weiss. It was new, being told to do something by someone other than her father, but it wasn't that bad. Ruby didn't get mad at her if she messed up. She'd just give her this look and sigh or smile and explain it to her again. If she still messed up, then she'd help her out with it a little, showing her how to do it before backing off and giving her space to do it on her own. Honestly, she really liked that Ruby gave her chances and was so willing to teach her despite how much she messed up on stuff that was probably second nature to her, judging by how Jaune would just try to stifle his laughter or look at her like she was an idiot. She just... wasn't very good at it making it known that she appreciated Ruby's help and whenever she tired to thank Ruby she wound up snapping at her instead. She supposed her father had instilled the "a Schnee is always right" motto into her pretty darn good despite her constant defiance and clashing opinions with him.

She wished her mother was still alive. Her mother had certainly been strict, but she had a tenderness to her that she liked to show too. While she believed that the Schnees were mostly right, she had also been careful to tell both her and Winter that they needed to listen to the counsel others more knowledgeable and wiser than them. She had made her point by asking them if an assassin was after them, what would they do? Naturally, they had both responded that they'd get one of the knights to help them. It was important for them to the best that they could, but it was okay for them to ask for help too. Princesses weren't gods. They were still human just like the nobles, the knights, the merchants, the craftsmen, and the commoners alike.

"Zweii, go with Weiss!" There was a bark and soon enough, she heard Zweii taking after her.

"I hardly need a dog to help me collect some rocks."

"Zweii needs some exercise."

She made a show of being put off by having to have Zweii accompany her, but she was secretly happy that Ruby had had Zweii go with her. Zweii might not be much protection, but it felt better just knowing that she wouldn't be completely alone in the woods. Just to be careful, she found a heavy branch along the way and took it with her. She had never had any real training with weapons, not unless ceremonial swordplay counted, but it made her feel safer. "Well, Zweii, I'm counting on you," she confided, stooping down and patting him on the head. Zweii just barked and sat down, looking up at her expectantly. Sighing, Weiss continued to make her way towards the stream Ruby had mentioned. "I can't believe I'm talking to a dog..." she mumbled to herself. Zweii merely barked again and continued to trot alongside her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaay. Weiss is slowly beginning to realize everything Ruby's done for her so far. Slowly. She still hasn't picked up on the food thing though... or the fact that Ruby essentially starved herself for dinner/breakfast that one time 'cause Weiss didn't share and Zweii needed food too. (Why else would Ruby have plopped Zweii into the bread basket?)
> 
> Anywho, I guess for this story I'm going to like how my Weiss chapters turn out. Lol. . . . I didn't think I could write Weiss, but I'm actually feeling pretty okay with how they turn out.
> 
> Another chapter 'cause I was just in a good writing mood today and couldn't resist writing for RWBYlot.~ Working on a crack series... but it's really elaborate and crack filled so... probably won't be up any time soon (or ever).


	5. Surprises

Sighing, Weiss stood up straight and stretched. Her search was pretty futile. She had even lost the makeshift staff when she had stepped into an unsuspecting hole in the ground. Nothing seemed to match what Ruby had asked for. Everything was far too small and rough to be useful. A rough breeze wound through the stream and Weiss instinctively pulled up Ruby's hood. Zweii whimpered and brushed up against her legs, prompting her to bend down and pick him up. "Just this once," she warned him before berating herself for talking to a dog again. Zweii happily snuggled himself deeper into her arms.

She wasn't sure how long she had been out, but she supposed that since she wasn't having any luck she ought to just return to camp. Ruby could probably make do with something else--the girl always managed to pull through for them in the end, even if it did sound kind of outlandish to begin with. When there'd been a tear in the tent and they needed to fix it... only without any thread, she had had the brilliant idea of using her hair. Weiss was still mildly upset that she had had to pluck out one of her hairs, but it had work. She was still surprised that the tent had held up together even after a good week or so had passed. Who knew hairs could be so strong? She still doubted it'd last though, but the lone, white hair had done wonderfully well so far and didn't look like it was about to break any time soon. Astonishing. If she didn't know any better, she'd have accused Ruby of being a Huntress.

But Ruby, a Huntress? Please. As if. The mere thought of it made her laugh and Zweii looked up at her, just as surprised as she was. "What?" she demanded. "I can laugh too!" Zweii stared up at her a moment longer before letting his tongue stick out and panting happily. Shaking her head and refusing to admit that she had yet again talked to a dog, she hurried back to camp.

Fear had a grip on her, yes, but it had lessened over time. She had reasoned that if Ruby and Jaune could venture out alone and return safely, so too could she. Zweii, dog that he may be, was of some use. His intincts would surely warn them beforehand of anyone suspicious. As it was, they made it back to camp without anything eventful happening. "I couldn't find anything matching your description."

"Oh," frowned Ruby. "Well it's okay. We'll manage! Jaune's back too."

Weiss glanced sideways and nodded at Jaune who returned the gesture. "Any ideas?" Ruby's brow furrowed in thought, but she didn't say anything. Jaune approached them and looked at each of them in turn. "We're not quite sure how to cook the rabbits Ruby caught."

"We could just use the pot." Ruby and Weiss stared at Jaune. "What? Was that a bad idea?" Of course! The pot! Why didn't she think of it? It could work as a frying pan all the same! She hated how Jaune had been the one to think of the idea though. "So... rabbit steaks a go or no?" he tenatively asked in the silence. Sighing, Weiss just walked away in defeat. "Guys?"

"Yeah, sure, Jaune," agreed Ruby. "How close are we to the next town over?"

Weiss tuned them out and stared at Zweii. He was very much content to lay in her lap and she was fine with it. He kept her warm and it turned out he wasn't as dirty as she thought he was. He was remarkably free of fleas and the like and seemed to care a great deal about her. Her stomach began to growl, but she ignored it. The next town was only a day's journey away.

She spared Ruby and Jaune a backwards glance. They had been very friendly and of great help, but the threat of the White Fang still loomed over her. She really didn't want them involved with her any more than was necessary. After reaching Valos they'd go to Beacon. She'd just have to get a ship from Beacon to Atlas and she'd be home in no time. Beacon. That's when she'd lose them. Just a few more days and they'd be safe.

"What'cha thinking about?" prompted Ruby as she fell in next to her, Zweii promptly ignoring Weiss in favor of his true owner. "Zweii!" complained Ruby half heartedly as Zweii licked her face.

"Nothing." She didn't dare look at Ruby. The younger girl had somehow managed to penetrate through the many walls she had built up with just a simple look.

"What's up?" called out Jaune from the open tent flap. Weiss was on guard duty tonight and he and Ruby didn't mind sharing the tent. Yet another reason why Weiss was convinced there was something going on between the two.

"Nothing!" repeated Weiss again, raising her voice slightly so Jaune could hear her. He poked out his head for a moment, decided nothing was wrong, and went back inside. The wind picked up again and Weiss pulled the cloak around her tighter, scooting closer towards the fire. The sound of something clicking together brought her head up and she looked around, wary. Her gaze eventually settled on Ruby.

"Haha..." shrugged Ruby lightly, smiling brightly. Despite her cheery outlook, it didn't stop her shivering and quick breaths floating out like clouds. "Sorry." Weiss frowned and wondered what in the world Ruby was apologizing for. It wasn't like she could help being cold! "It's usually not so bad, I'm kind of used to it, really, but then you know, sometimes the wind blows and it gets all chilly and kinda cold and then you can't help but shiver, ya know?" she rambled on, avoiding Weiss' gaze.

And then she remembered how Ruby had given her cloak and said she ought to have it so she wouldn't be cold. She was mildly aware of Ruby still rambling on and realized that it was her nevous tick. "Here," sighed Weiss, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, as she draped Ruby's cloak about her shoulders.

"No, it's okay!" started Ruby quickly, catching Weiss' hands. "I'll be fine. It's nothing!"

Weiss' eyes narrowed at her and Ruby quickly quieted down, relaxing her hold on her. "I'll be fine. You're freezing." And it was true. Ruby's hands were sickeningly cold and she was still visibly shivering, her teeth occasioinally chattering. She expected Ruby to stubbornly refuse, but she didn't. She just nodded and let her gaze remain fixed on Zweii. It was almost as if... as if Ruby looked chastised. But why?

"Um... Weiss..."

"What?" Oops. It had come out as a snap instead of a gentle inquiry.

Ruby winced, but continued on anyway. "You can let go of my hands now." Weiss promptly looked at her hands and quickly let go of Ruby's hands, turning away and hiding the creeping flush on her cheeks. "Thanks!" One careful glance downards revealed Ruby's hands promptly rubbing against each other rapidly. "I'll get to cooking right away. You must be hungry." Weiss nodded, but otherwise kept her back to Ruby.

As Ruby hummed away, busy with dinner, Weiss tenatively glanced down at her hands as she uncrossed her arms. She had never held anyone's hands before... not like that anyway. Shaking her head lightly, she scanned the camp again. Again there was nothing amiss. Sighing, she gingerly allowed herself a small peak at Ruby only for the girl to look up and smile at her. Quickly looking away, Weiss pulled over her pack and began to go through the things in it again, needlessly rearranging everything back inside.

Okay. Maybe she... could be a little nicer and more observant towards Ruby and Jaune. They didn't know she was a princess and was used to a certain degree of comfort. But, clearly they had realised she wasn't their usual ordinary commoner if Ruby had been fine with suffering the cold to help her stay warm. Her jacket was thin and light, but it was still rather warm. And she had grown up in Atlas for nearly all her life. The cold wasn't something new to her, much less Vale's cold. She did not need Ruby's cloak and would not accept it any more.

Grimacing, she pushed aside the thought that Ruby's clothes were actually pretty thin and full of patches themselves. Jaune's were no better, but they looked considerably less worn. He also had the sensibility to wear more than one layer. But that could just be because he came from an affluent family, a tiny voice piped up. Ruby clearly did not come from the same wealth that Jaune did. Maybe the one set of clothes was all she had and it would be considered lucky to even have a full set of clothes and boots.

She had never really thought about that before, she admitted to herself quietly. She spent most of her time locked up in castles and noble courtyards. She had never actually interacted with or seen commoners asides from the servants assigned to her. And well... they were servants to the royal family, so they had to be considerably well off compared to other commoners. She wondered if it was normal for commoners to be as ragged as Ruby and Jaune were. Maybe it was just a Vale thing. Once she got back home she'd have to ask her father to allow her to venture outside of the castle more often. It didn't feel right making decissions regarding the lives of the commoners when she really didn't know anything about their lives. And with the amount of wealth they had, surely not all commoners had to suffer as much as Ruby and Jaune, right?

But again, but she was just overthinking things. The citizens of Vale were different from the citizens of Atlas. She was sure her father was being reasonably fair to everyone in the kingdom. But what about the rumors, asked the tiny voice inside of her. And okay, okay, maybe her father did do a lot of questionable things, but it was for the benefit of the kingdom. Convicting any and all citizens rumored to be spies for Vacuo though? ... They had trials before convictions! Fair trails? ... O-Of course. Sure about that?

Weiss wasn't sure though. There were plenty of nasty rumors about her family and her father, she couldn't deny that. Over the years they had gotten considerably worse, but as far as she was aware her father still did everything by the book. Barely, scoffed the tiny voice inside of her that Weiss decided she'd ignore for the time being. Her father wasn't exactly the best king ever, but he was a good king. He had saved Atlas from ruin and reformed it until they were considered one of the strongest kingdoms in Remnant. And with Sir Ironwood overseeing the orders of knights, they were definitely worth fearing. But it wasn't like they had used that fear to their advantage... very much... They had used it to seize control of all the different warring factions within Atlas and formed a true kingdom out of it, established trade routes, worked out political ties with the other kingdoms, routed the ill famed Hunters and Huntresses, developed a strong military, instilled an even stronger government, and the list could go on and on. Could her father have made other choices that ultimately resulted in the same end? Yes. Should he have? She didn't know.

And that was the honest truth. She didn't know. She could argue for days about what her father had done right and wrong, but at the end of the day she herself still wasn't quite sure whether or not his actions were the right ones given the current circumstances at the time. And maybe that was why her father had conflicted feelings about her inheriting the throne over Winter even though he had made it clear that he wanted neither of them to inherit, but, begrudgingly, Weiss might make a slightly better option if he absolutely had to choose.

Bitterly, Weiss pushed all thoughts of her family out of her head for future Weiss to deal with. It was childish, but she just didn't want to think about it right now. Besides, she didn't need to let royal matters distract her. Maybe she should just stop worrying so much and pretend she was a commoner like Ruby. Ruby was so carefree and spirited, Weiss envied her--not that she'd ever tell Ruby that. But as much as she longed to be as carefree as Ruby, she knew she never could be. She'd been raised to analyze every single little detail, no matter how minute it might seem. It was something she'd never be able to let go off. It was a part of her just as much as her snow white hair and icey blue eyes were.

"Is everything okay?" Startled, Weiss raised her eyes and saw Jaune in front of her. "Sorry... you just looked like you were having a bad night."

"Oh, no, everything's fine."

Jaune gave her a long look and then slowly nodded. "Okay. But if you need to talk, I'm here. I promise I won't tell Ruby." Slow as he was, his gentle smile and the care and worry in his voice and eyes made him mildly appealing. Mildly. "Oh, and thanks for giving Ruby back her cloak."

Weiss just nodded. "I'm sure she hasn't really told you... but that cloak means a lot to her. It's the only thing of her mom's that she's got left."

"She might have mentioned it..."

If Jaune was surprised, he didn't show it. "Well. I'm glad you and Ruby are friends." Weiss immediately started to protest. They were not friends. They never would be. "She doesn't have a lot of friends." Weiss' words died in her throat and she just looked away. "She's a good friend, if you give her the chance," continued Jaune, not noticing. "She's helped me loads before." Weiss just nodded, the realization that maybe she and Ruby weren't so different just beginning to dawn on her.

"Guys! Dinner is ready!"

Standing up and brushing the dirt off of him, Jaune held out a hand to her. "You must be hungry." Weiss rolled her eyes, but took his offered hand anyway.

"... Thank you... for... talking to me." And unlike the many time she had thanked someone before, she found herself actually meaning it this time around. Jaune might be annoying, dim-witted, slow, useless, and a plethora of other things... but he was nice. She couldn't deny him that.

Jaune's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, yeah, sure, no problem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, it's been awhile, hasn't it? Anyway, future updates may be delayed for a bit. Going to be a tad bit busy for awhile. Sorry for any major grammatical errors as I didn't do my usual sifting and previewing before submission.


End file.
